Breastfeeding is nutritionally demanding — more so than pregnancy. A nursing mother needs roughly 500 extra calories a day, and considerably more fluid and protein.
What matters most
Eat enough. Milk supply falls when intake drops sharply. This is the single most common reason a mother is told her "milk is not enough" — she is simply not eating enough.
Fluids. Thirst rises noticeably while feeding. Keep water within reach of wherever you usually nurse.
Protein at every meal: dal, curd, paneer, eggs, fish, chicken, soya.
Calcium. If intake is low, your body takes it from your bones to make milk. Milk, curd, paneer, ragi, til, and green leaves.
Iron. Delivery costs blood; most Indian mothers begin already low. Continue iron-rich meals as in pregnancy.
Traditional foods that hold up
Many Indian postpartum practices are sound: gond ke laddoo, methi, ajwain, dill (sowa), garlic, ragi, and warm, easily digested food all have a reasonable basis, and the sheer calorie density of traditional laddoos is genuinely useful at this stage.
Practices worth questioning
- Severe food restriction. Long lists of "forbidden" foods can leave a new mother eating far too little exactly when she needs the most.
- Restricting fluids to reduce swelling — this is not how postpartum swelling works.
- Prolonged bed rest without any movement raises the risk of blood clots.
Be careful with
- Alcohol — it passes into milk
- Tobacco in any form
- Excess caffeine — a couple of cups is generally fine; large amounts can leave a baby wakeful and irritable
- Herbal preparations and "supply-boosting" mixtures. Ask your doctor before taking any of these. Several traditional and imported galactagogues have real drug interactions, and "herbal" does not mean inert.
- Any medicine, including over-the-counter ones. Most are compatible with breastfeeding, but check rather than assume — and equally, do not stop a medicine your doctor prescribed out of fear.
Ask for help early
Pain while feeding, a baby not gaining weight, cracked nipples, a hard, red, painful area on the breast, or fever all deserve prompt attention from a doctor or a lactation counsellor. Most feeding problems are fixable, and they are far easier to fix in the first weeks than the third month.